The Lit‑Quest Europe training program (LAP‑CB) officially kicked off its 2025 activities with the first residency, held in March in Novo mesto, Slovenia, in collaboration with Goga Publishing House.
Over the course of several days, emerging literary agents Janek Domonell, Chiara Stanzani, and Manca Masnik participated in an intensive learning experience focused on the foundations of literary agency work. Hosted by Mitja Ličen, director of Goga, the residency offered both practical and conceptual insight into what it means to work as a literary agent in today’s European book landscape.
Workshops and sessions explored topics such as:
- The role and responsibilities of the literary agent
- Challenges of working in small-language markets
- Building sustainable author-agent relationships
- Editorial cooperation and rights planning in independent publishing
The residency also included structured peer discussions and mentoring sessions designed to support participants in developing their own career paths and agency strategies.
Novo mesto, with its strong literary tradition and the experience of Goga as an international-minded independent publisher, provided an ideal setting for the program’s launch. The atmosphere encouraged reflection, exchange, and future collaboration.
This first stop in Slovenia marks the beginning of a three-part training journey that will continue in Zagreb (May) and Helsinki (June), where the participants will deepen their skills in rights selling, international collaboration, and digital tools for literary professionals.
Lit‑Quest Europe is co-funded by the European Union and designed to strengthen literary agency infrastructure across Europe through long-term training, exchange, and cooperation.